Action for pneumatic player-pianos.



G. BERGLUND & W. O. WEBB.

ACTION FOR PNEUMATIC PLAYERQPIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1909.

949,6 1 2. Patented Feb. 15,1910.

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CARL BERGLUND, OF EAST ORANGE, AND WILLIAM C. WEBB, 0E NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

ACTION FOR PNEUMATIC PLAYER-PIANOS.

Application filed May 6, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CARL BERGLUND and lVILLIAM C. lVnBB, citizens of the United States, residing at East Orange and Newark, respectively, in the county of Essex and State or New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Actions for Pneumatic Player-Pianos; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to an automatic piano action that is simple in structure, the simplicity of which insures its operation, and is also so constructed as to fit well up against the name-board of a piano and be very compact.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which the figure is a section through the pneumatic action.

The pneumatic action consists of blocks 17, 18 and 19 which are channeled and have therein the primary pneumatics 20 which consist of valves having the usual button 21 adapted to be actuated by a diaphragm 22, these buttons being staggered or arranged so that they are alternate, the diaphragm 22 being operated by air passing in through the pipe 23 from the tracker-board through the channeled block 24L which hasa channel at right-angles and is similar to the block 25 at the other end of the series of blocks containing the primary neumatics. The admission of air, causing the diaphragm 22 to push up the button 21, permits air to enter in through the channel 26 and down through the flexible or other pipe connections 27 into the channel 28 which extends down into a block 29 which, with the blocks 30 and 31, contains the secondary valves 32. Each sec ondary valve 32 is opened by its pneumatic 33, and the channel 34: of the upright block 35 is placed under suction. The channel 34 connects with a channel. 36 of a block 37, each channel communicating with a bellows 38, which bellows has operative connections with the wippen of the piano action to cause the sounding of a note. The lever 39 of each action is pivotally supported on top of the block 37, a space being provided therefor Specification of Letters Patent.

Patent-ed Feb. 15, 1910.

Serial No. 494,327.

} by raising the blocks for the primary pneumatics on a strip 40. The bellows has a strip a1 of spring material, preferably of steel, which prO ects slightly beyond the bellows and has a connection 42 which in turn is connected with the end of the wippen. It is of course understood that the bellows and their rods are staggered so that they are fitted in opposite their respective strings, and the ordinary compactness as to the width of the action is arrived at.

By our arrangement the depth of the action is reduced, due to the front edges of the block 25, and the front edges of the lower blocks holding the secondary pneumatics being in line, and the block 35 set in from the edge far enough to permit the pipe connection 27 to be installed. The spring strip 4-1 on each bellows gives a slight spring to the move ment of the wippen when the bellows is snapped together to strike its key against a string, and the spring action takes up the shock so that there is less jar to the whole action.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is l. A pneumatic action for pianos comprising primary valves, secondary valves, blocks having channels therein and adapted to form a casing for the primary valves, blocks having channels therein and forming a casing for the secondary valves, blocks having channels leading from the casing of the secondary valves, bellows secured on the last named blocks with their hinged ends abutting thereon, the casings of the primary and secondary valves projecting slightly beyond the blocks to which the bellows are socured and having the channels ending in the projecting portion, a pipe connection between the channel ends in the primary and secondary valve casings, and an operative connection on the free end of the bellows adapted to be connected to a piano action.

2. A pneumatic action for pianos comprising primary valves, secondary valves, blocks having channels therein and adapted to form a casing for the primary valves, blocks having channels therein and forming a casing for the secondary valves, blocks having channels leading from the casing of the secondary valves, bellows secured on the last named blocks with their hinged ends abutting thereon, the casings of the primary and secondary valves projecting slightly be yond the blocks to which the bellows are secured and having the channels ending in the projecting portion, a pipe connection be tween the channel ends in the primary and secondary valve casings, a strip of spring material projecting from the movable portion of each bellows, and an operative connection from the strip and adapted to be connected to a piano action.

3. A pneumatic action for pianos comprising primary valves, secondary valves, blocks having channels therein and adapted to form a casing for the primary valves, blocks having channels therein and forming a casing for the secondary valves, blocks having channels leading from the casing of the secondary valves, bellows secured 011 the last named blocks with their hinged ends abutting thereon, the casings of the primary and secondary valves projecting slightly beyond the blocks to which the bellows are secured and having the channels ending in the projecting portion, a pipe connection between the channel ends in the primary and secondary valve casings, a lever hinged between the casing of the primary valves and the bellows, and an operative connection between the bellows and the levers.

4. A pneumatic action for pianos comprising primary valves, secondary valves, blocks having channels therein and adapted to form a casing for the primary valves,

i I t tween the casing of the primary valves and the bellows, a strip of spring material projecting from the movable portion of the bel lows, and an operative connection between the strip and the lever.

5. In a piano action, a bellows, a strip oit spring material secured to the movable portion of the bellows and projecting from its end, and means on the end 01" the strip of spring material for connecting it with a piano action.

In testimony, that we claim the foregoing, we have hereunto set our hands this 1st day of May 1909.

CARL BERGLUND. WILLIAM C. WEBB.

lVitnesses lVM. H. CAMFIELD, E. A. PELL. 

